A record 14 projects were recognised at this year’s HDB Design Awards, with the top honours going to [email protected] for its park-like environment and multi-generational loft units paired with studio apartments.

Completed in early 2015, the Design Award-winning [email protected] comprises five 40- to 43-storey high residential blocks linked to a four-storey carpark podium. The blocks are located next to the Alexandra Canal Linear Park and were developed as part of the Housing-in-the-Park concept under the Housing & Development Board’s Remaking Our Heartland plans for the Dawson estate.

Among the various features of [email protected] are multi-generational loft units. These two-level four-room or five-room units are paired with studio apartments to allow younger families to live beside their parents. Each unit has its own distinct entrance, though a door connects the two.

One such occupant is Mr Cheah Tse Boon, who lives in a five-room flat with his wife and three-year-old son. His parents-in-law occupy the adjacent studio apartment.

He said: “It’s actually good for the both of us, because we can pass our kids to the in-laws late at night when we want to go out. It also works for my in-laws – they are getting old. In case there is an emergency, we are just downstairs; we don’t have to drive another 10 to 15 minutes just to reach them.”

Other features at [email protected], which was designed by SCDA Architects, include communal space such as roof gardens and sky villages.

Another winner at the HDB Design Awards 2015 is Waterway Woodcress in Punggol, which overlooks Punggol Waterway. The project was completed in April this year.

Similar to [email protected], Waterway Woodcress incorporates community spaces situated within the development. More than half of the 694 units offer a view of the waterway, due to the distinctive stepped skyline design of the blocks.

HDB said there is a shift towards active greenery, sustainable features and community features in the design of new generation HDB flats.

Mr Jeremiah Lim, Deputy Director (Design Policy) at HDB’s Development and Procurement Group, said that newer HDB flats take into consideration the changing needs of residents as they get older.

He said: “We have been doing universal designs for many years. What we try to do is that at the precinct level, the block level and even the flat level, we have different measures. So for example we have lots of ramps, we have wider corridors and we have larger font sizes. Maybe the lift buttons are also bigger, and there are ramps instead of steps.

“So these are some of the things that we consciously put into (the flats) to make sure that our flats and precincts in general can cater to people as they get older, or as their lifestyle needs change.”

Other winning projects at the HDB Design Awards include Dawson C3, as well as Oasis Terraces and Kampung Admiralty which are currently being built. HDB said the winning projects show that public housing can be both creative yet practical at the same time.